Liquid
by N. H. Nick
Summary: The long war had taken its toll, on some people more than others. Harry Potter, consumed by battles and death, believes that it shouldn't have happened from the beginning and sets out to change reality, not realizing the affect his actions of insanity wou
1. Chapter 1 Frailness

**Title: Liquid**

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**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

**Summary:** The long war had taken its toll, on some people more than others. Harry Potter, consumed by battles and death, believes that it shouldn't have happened from the beginning and sets out to change reality, not realizing the affect his actions of insanity would have on the future. 

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**_Chapter 1 - Frailness_**

Ginny Weasley, second in command for the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter's right-hand woman, couldn't remember the last time she smiled, but she was smiling now. She was reading the latest activity reports and for the first time in ten years, she foresaw a possible end of the war. Voldemort was losing power rapidly; his numbers were diminishing and most Death Eaters were either dead or had betrayed him. Fewer actions were taken by his side every day, while the Order, on the other hand, was stronger than ever.

_It is time to take a strong action, exploit this momentum, _she thought. She collected all the parchments and set off to Harry's chamber to share the good reports and her ideas with him.

_This is just the chance he has been looking for. _She knew that for a long time, Harry had been searching for a way to finish it off; he couldn't take more deaths. She hurried down the long and dark corridors leading to Harry's chamber in the main base of operations right under the city of Birmingham.

"Halt, who goes there?" the loud, bass voice of the enchanted door asked her as she reached it.

"Ginny Weasley; I need to see Harry," she replied. She felt that something was wrong. Usually the doors didn't sense for new arrivals; this meant that Harry had locked himself in his room and was not willing to let people in.

"Oh, Miss Weasley." The door sounded happy. "I'm sorry, but Harry is unavailable at the moment."

"What do you mean, 'unavailable'? I demand to see him right now!" Ginny let out a frustrated sigh and started to walk around; now wasn't the time for such nonsense. There was a short pause.

"I'm sorry, Miss Weasley, but Harry is unavailable at the moment." The door sighed. "Door, I order you to open!" she barked.

"I'm sorry, Miss Weasley --" Ginny interrupted him.

"Oh shut up, Door." She was about to back out but decided not to give up. She pulled out her wand, said, "_Accio__ axis!_" and held out her hand. Seconds later, the big door trembled as the axis connecting the door to the walls flew out of their places and into Ginny's opened palm.

"Now," she said and paused. A loud, metallic sound noted to her that the door was unlocking itself. She waited a few more seconds and it fell backwards, allowing her to pass.

"Who dares interrupt me?" She heard a loud cry and saw Harry turning in his chair to see who had entered his chamber. He was surrounded by parchments and books.

"Oh, Ginny, it is you. I thought the door was a big enough clue that I was busy?" He put the book down on the table and stood up.

"I know, and I'm sorry, Harry. I just think it is important that you read some of these reports," she said and came up to him.

"I think it's time for a big move. I believe we can end this war soon." She smiled to him but her expression changed when he ignored her report.

"I believe--" Harry took her reports and put them aside. "—that I have just figured out a way to defeat Voldemort, once and for all." He smiled and Ginny did the same.

"You know, Ginny --" he walked around his table and poured water from a bottle in to a small cup. "Time --" he paused, "-- is like liquid; one deliberate or unwitting interference can change its texture." He touched the surface of the water and watched the ripples for a few seconds. "I have found what is wrong with our world."

Ginny's expression changed once again; she was now looking very worried.

"And I intend to change it." He paused. "We share a common vision with a great wizard, my ancestor; Godric Gryffindor. In the way of his vision stood a man more evil than we can imagine. If it wasn't for him, Salazar Slytherin, Gryffindor's vision—our vision—of peace, tolerance and co-existence with Muggles would have swept the world and become the only vision! We wouldn't have been in this mess. " He took a short breath. "Slytherin always prevented the spreading of Gryffindor's vision. Instead, he spread the vision of our enemies, a vision that has taken too many lives." He looked at her, seeking her approval.

"Harry, what do you mean?" Ginny looked uneasily at Harry.

Harry smiled. "I'm going to go back in time and kill Salazar Slytherin."

Ginny immediately realized that she had to stop him from making such a crazy move. "And how exactly are you going to do this?" she asked and clutched her wand.

"Yes, that was, indeed, the tricky part; I have done a lot of research, and I found something that I have the basis to believe is real and not a myth. I have read about the existence of Chronomages; wizards who can manipulate time as they please – and I have come to the conclusion that there is one living today." He started looking through his parchments. "Chronomages are very rare—about one in a century or two—but it seems I have the right to fix things, since I have found a file in the Ministry's most secret records about one who could be a Chronomage living today." He handed her a parchment. "I have used a few spells to make the ink visible and to decrypt to codes it was written in." He smiled.

Ginny read the file; it was almost empty, only containing a name, an address and the words "dangerous powers," when a standard file of the Ministry on a Wizard consisted of at least three pages of exact information. She decided that she wasn't going to let this madness continue. She drew her wand and aimed it at Harry.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I can't let you continue with this course of action."

She never thought she would raise her wand against Harry.

"Ginny, I'm not going to let you stop me. I will do as I planned. Do you really want me to stop?" He approached her in order to distract her from the fact the he was clutching his wand behind his back.

"If I do this, then everyone who died in the hands of Voldemort-- including your family--will live again." He put his face inches from hers and shifted her wand aside.

"Are you going to stop me from letting your family have a chance to live again?"

A tear rolled down Ginny's cheeks. She couldn't believe that it would ever come to this, but she understood it was the right thing to do; she was willing to sacrifice her loved ones to stop Harry from making a fatal mistake.

"_Liondamhain__!_" Harry cried. A spider's web came out of his wand and wrapped Ginny to the floor. "I'm sorry, Ginny, but this is something I have got to do. Next time we see each other, everything will be different." He left the room as Ginny struggled to escape the web that held her to the floor.

Ginny struggled for a few seconds until and idea hit her. She opened her hand and struggled hard to keep it open.

"_Accio__!_" she screamed and concentrated. It took it a few seconds to come, but it did. A knife she once got as a present from Remus Lupin rested genteelly in her hand now. She cut herself out quickly and left the room. She remembered the address of the man Harry was going to see and she knew Harry was not so far ahead, unless he didn't follow security proceedings. She ran out of the room and headed to the broomstick chamber. The only way to get out of the base was by flying on a broomstick; since Apparation, Floo powder and most magical transportation was traceable, the only way to safely go somewhere was by broom, even if it was to a remote location in order to use another magical means of transportation from there.

When Ginny reached the broomstick chamber she noticed that the guard on duty was gazing in to the sky, and didn't notice her at all.

"Mr. Rasanen," she called, and a few seconds later he came around.

"Hello, Miss Weasley. Are you a part of the secret mission Mr. Potter was out for? Oh, I guess I shouldn't be talking about it, right?" He took a broomstick and handed it to Ginny with a smile.

"Did Harry say anything to you before he went?" she asked as she mounted the broom.

"No, I said that I didn't know of a mission coming out today and he said it was secret and that when he sees me again, everything would be different." He smiled.

"OK. Goodbye, Mr. Rasanen. " She took off on the broom. She figured that she couldn't ride it all the way. Harry would probably shorten his route, so she set off towards Blackpool to take a Portkey.

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After an hour of flying and taking a few Portkeys to different locations, in order to confuse the enemy, Harry Potter finally arrived at his destination; a lonely one-floor house a few minutes ride on a broom from the city of Carron, Scotland. He didn't waste any time here. Seconds after his arrival he threw his broomstick aside and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" He heard the loud slaps of footsteps and a grumpy low voice coming from behind the door.

"Mr. Skylark, I need to speak to you." Harry tried to sound as nice as possible.

"Who are you?" the man behind the door asked again.

"I'm a friend, but if you won't let me in I will have to shout what I know about you from out here. I know exactly what you are!" The door opened wide seconds later and a mad-looking man stood in the doorway.

Darius Skylark was a very tall man, almost one head taller than Harry. His eyes--one blue and one black--had bags under them, and he wielded bristles; to Harry, it seemed as if he hadn't slept well or shaved in a while.

"Come in," the man said slowly.

"So," Harry started as he walked in carefully, "I was right. You are a Chronomage." Darius closed the door and walked with Harry to the living room.

"What do you want from me, Mr. Potter?" he asked and looked at Harry's scar, which was half visible under his hair.

"So, you know who I am, then you know my cause. I need your help."

Darius walked away from Harry when he heard the last part. "You don't know what you speak of. I can't use my powers to help you."

Harry stood up and came to him. "Yes you can. I need you to take me to the past. There is something that needs fixing." Harry turned Darius Skylark to him and looked in his eyes.

"This is mad talk, Potter! You can't! I won't!" Darius barked.

"Mr. Skylark, you don't understand the importance of my mission."

Darius waved his hands in cancellation as he walked away from Harry again. "It doesn't matter. It can't be done; you can never know the outcome of your actions when you go back in time. This is why I am stuck out here, so that crazy fools like you wouldn't find me." Skylark turned away.

"Well. Then I guess I'm not asking for your help." Harry paused. "_Imperio__!_" he cried.

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Ginny Weasley arrived to the house outside of Carron and hoped that Harry wasn't there yet. Her hopes faded when she saw a broomstick on the grass along the pathway. She took a deep breath and tried to come up with a plan. She walked slowly towards the window, trying to make no sound, and peaked in. She saw Harry talking to a tall man.

_It's probably Skylark, _she thought. The man was walking away from Harry and then something she didn't expect happened.

"_Imperio__!_" Harry cried and Ginny knew she had to intervene.

"_Alohomora__!_" She opened the door and charged the room.

"Stop it, Harry!" she cried, but Harry ignored her.

"Do as I say!" he shouted to Darius Skylark, who tried to fight his control, but couldn't do it anymore. He knew that any second now he would take them both to the past, but when the red-headed woman came storming in to the house, he hoped she could stop him.

The three started to glow in a weird shade of white. Harry felt the glow cover him and it was like his senses were put into overdrive. He felt an unidentifiable sensation and opened his eyes wide, trying to absorb everything. It was like he could see himself going back in time; it seemed to him as he was watching history in fast forward. He didn't feel himself leaving the ground but couldn't feel attached to anything. He didn't want this extreme feeling to stop, but then everything turned black and he felt the hard ground under his feet. The feeling was soon erased from his mind.

The first thing he saw was the early light of sunrise, and he felt the cold morning breeze. He was standing on a hill, facing a deep dark forest. The sun was just beginning to rise and the light was still weak. The air felt so different, so clear, and so fresh; it was like something from another world. Harry looked around and saw that the travel had had a harsh effect on Darius Skylark, who was on the grass and struggling to get up on his feet.

"Don't bother," Harry said, knowing that he still had control over the man. "Sleep." Darius Skylark fell to the grass. Harry gave up control and turned to see that they weren't the only ones there. Ginny Weasley was still amazed by where she was, so she didn't notice Harry until he turned to her.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you about my plan, Ginny." Harry aimed his wand at her. "I'm sorry but I won't let you stop me, not now."

Ginny aimed her wand at him but he was faster.

"_Stupefy!" _A bolt of red light came out of his wand and hit her in the chest.

Harry didn't want to leave them like this; she was still his friend. He put a repel charm on their bodies to repel any animal or Muggle approaching them.

"_Point me!_" Harry used the Four-Point spell to find north and he began walking in the direction his wand showed him.

It was not long before Harry got to a road; he began walking alongside it, heading north-east hoping to find anything at all that could help him know a little more about where he was.

Not more than an hour passed before Harry could hear the sound of a horse coming his way. A few seconds later the white horse came into view.

"Hello, stranger," called the rider as his horse stopped close to Harry. "Are you lost?" he asked.

"Yes, my horse got scared of something; he threw me off and ran away." Harry looked in to the riders eyes. He knew there was only one thing to do. "_Legilimens__!_" He whispered. It took him a few seconds, but he found all that he needed to know in the man's mind. He ended his search and saw that the man, who was apparently a wizard, was reaching for his wand.

"_Obliviate__!_" Harry was once again faster.

Harry Apparated to the nearest village, now that he knew what its name was. He left the wizard alone with his horse to figure out why they had stopped.

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Darius Skylark woke up and felt the wet grass underneath him. He took a deep breath and the cold air that entered his lungs made him feel like a new man. Then he remembered what happened. He saw the body of the red-headed woman he took along and started to shake her.

"Wake up!" he cried. He shook her violently for a few seconds, but eventually had to give up as it wasn't working. He stood and started to walk around thinking what to do next, and it hit him.

"_Enervate!_" he cried and pointed his wand at the girl, who opened her eyes.

Ginny Weasley opened her eyes wide quickly but had no time to adjust, as Darius Skylark leaned over her and shook her.

"Get up, girl." He pulled her up.

"Do you have any idea where he could have gone to?" he asked.

Ginny could hear the urgency in his voice but could not think. She gazed around her, trying to remember what happened.

"Miss? Miss?" he cried and shook her again.

"How long have we been out?" she asked him.

"I don't know." He released her from his clutch.

"This is not good! He could have killed him already! He could have already changed the future." Ginny turned around and looked at the sky, trying to think of something.

"No he didn't. If he had, we wouldn't have been here. You see, a change so far in the past would touch all of our lives, thus if something had changed we would not have been here. What is your name? And who is he trying to kill?" Darius calmed down and spoke slowly.

"I'm Ginny Weasley, and Harry is trying to kill Salazar Slytherin," she replied.

"Then we need to find them and protect him. I'm not strong enough to Apparate; coming here took a lot out of me, but you can take us both and Apparate us to Hogsmeade. He is probably there." He grabbed her shoulders, hoping she would Apparate them out of there.

"No, it won't work, since the village isn't called Hogsmeade yet. It was named Hogsmeade only a few years after Hogwarts started to work; I assume we are still before that time?" Darius sighed and nodded, confirming Ginny's fears.

"I knew Hogsmeade's early name once, I just can't seem to remember," Ginny said.

"Then think, Miss Weasley!" Darius barked.

"I think I've got it!" Ginny cried and took Darius's hand. With a loud _pop_ they Apparated out.

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"I'm telling you Salazar, you cannot limit education!" Godric Gryffindor was holding the plans over Hogwarts. "The wizard's mind will always seek to expand." Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin were in the middle of their daily discussion over the admittance of Muggle born wizards into the school they were planning. Godric passed his hand through his beard as Salazar pointed at a few things in the map. The two were planning what part of the castle they would build today.

"Muggle borns," Salazar said, "do not have a wizard's mind. They may have our abilities but they will never be able to compare to us." Salazar looked deep into his colleague's eyes as he spoke slowly of one of the subjects which he held high attitude to.

"Salazar Slytherin!" A loud voice cried for Slytherin from the woods, and the two jumped. They drew their wands and aimed them at the sound's source.

A few seconds later the source of the call came in to view.

"Stop right there!" Slytherin tried to stop the upcoming stranger, but Harry Potter wasn't about to give up.

"_Expelliarmus__!_" he shouted and Slytherin was knocked back into the wall of the storage cabin containing all the materials for building.

"_Iolar__!_" Gryffindor was quick to respond and an eagle came out of the tip of his wand. The eagle grabbed Slytherin's wand before Harry could get it and returned it to its owner.

"_Confundo__!_" Gryffindor tried to confuse his unknown rival, but he was able to dodge this attack.

"I do not want to fight you, Gryffindor. I want him." Harry pointed at Slytherin who stood back on his feet with his wand now.

"_Dibir__!_" Slytherin cried and a log from the cabin behind him flew in Harry's direction.

Harry Apparated a few meters to the left and the log missed him completely.

"I'm doing this for the best, Gryffindor!" Harry used the Summoning charm and another log from the cabin flew out, but this time it hit Slytherin in the back and knocked him to the floor.

"Taking a life is never for the best!" Godric thought he might be able to negotiate the attacker to cease fire.

Harry wanted to end this now. He aimed his wand at Slytherin and prepared to make the final blow, but the loud _pop_ of Apparation stopped him.

"Harry, Stop it!" Ginny Weasley cried as she and Darius Skylark appeared in front of him.

Godric Gryffindor stood confused at this latest event; he let his guard down a bit and didn't aim his wand at the attacker anymore.

"Get back," Ginny whispered into Darius Skylark's ear and aimed her wand at Harry.

"This will not go any further," she said.

"You're right." Harry paused. Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"_Tead__!_" He cried and magical ropes came out of his wand and bound Ginny firmly.

"_Dibir__!_" Harry tossed her aside carefully and came face to face with Salazar Slytherin who was able to stand up. Darius Skylark knew they had failed; he knew he had one chance to survive, but he would not leave Ginny to die.

"Goodbye." Harry aimed his wand at Slytherin, and Gryffindor finally came to as Darius Skylark grabbed the tied up Ginny Weasley and used his last beats of power to try and take them away from here. For the second time in a few hours, Ginny Weasley felt the strange sensation she could not identify.

"_Avada__ Kedavra_!" Harry cried and a green bolt came out of his wand, but it wasn't Slytherin it hit. The one to take the green bolt of the killing curse was Godric Gryffindor who jumped in its path to save his friends life.

The lifeless body of Godric Gryffindor fell into Salazar Slytherin's hands as he witnessed the unknown assassin vanishing.


	2. Chapter 2 Changes

**Title: Liquid**

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Summary:** The long war had taken its toll, on some people more than others. Harry Potter, consumed by battles and death, believes that it shouldn't have happened from the beginning and sets out to change reality, not realizing the affect his actions of insanity would have on the future.

Chapter 2 follows the lives of the remaining founders one at a time, so it is not in a chronological order.

**AN:** I want to thank my beta for editing these chapters, and also to all who will review this. Chapter 3 will soon be released so you are welcomed to mail me if you want to be updated when it is released.

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**_Chapter 2 - Changes_**

The lifeless body of Godric Gryffindor lay in Salazar Slytherin's hands, his blank eyes staring unseeingly at the sky. Slytherin never wanted to show how high he held Gryffindor's opinions, but while holding his dead body in his arms he could barely control himself.

A mob from the village began to assemble around them, and Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw ran to see what the screaming was all about. When they came through the mob and saw the body of Godric Gryffindor, they were severely shocked. Rowena Ravenclaw fell on her knees and Helga Hufflepuff mouthed mutely for a few seconds. Nobody spoke for a few minutes, some in shock of what they had just seen, and some in respect for the dead Godric Gryffindor.

"Salazar --" Helga was the first to speak, but she could barely finish her words for the tears coming down her face and the sobs clogging up her throat.

"He wanted me. He wanted to kill me, and Godric stood in his way." Salazar lowered his eyes.

"Who did this?" Helga asked softly.

"I don't know," whispered Salazar in a broken voice.

"Where did he go?" Helga asked.

"I don't know!" Salazar paused and sighed. "He vanished. He turned to dust when he hit Godric." Someone tried to gently pry Salazar's hands off Godric's lifeless body, but he didn't want to let go. Helga began to clear the gathering crowd.

"Give me a few minutes with him, please, Helga, then I will prepare him myself for the ceremony." Salazar looked in to her crying eyes and she nodded her consent.

"Oh Godric, you fool, how could you do this? You know I wouldn't do the same for you." Salazar sighed and looked at the body of his old adversary and friend. "I will not forget this, Godric, you know it." He rearranged his grip on the dead body and stood up. He walked slowly across the village, holding Godric's body in his arms. His steps were heavy and were heard over the low mumbling voices.

"Can you believe it?" Salazar could hear a witch talking to her friend.

"It had to be a powerful wizard if he killed Gryffindor," another wizard was saying.

It seemed to Salazar as though crossing the village took hours to complete, and that he held in his hand the weight of the world.

The building of Hogwarts was delayed for an unlimited period until the three remaining founders figured some things out.

"I'm sorry, Salazar, it just cannot be." Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin held a meeting in the subject of what would become of the house of Gryffindor.

"Yes it can, Helga; Godric had a great idea about the sorting after we pass on. We can still implant it." Salazar was the only one standing of the three; he walked around Helga's cabin nervously. "We all know how Godric would have chosen his students; we can charm the hat in his way! Sure, it will be less effective, but I believe we can make it work."

Helga sighed.

"Salazar, I know how much you want this to come true, but it isn't possible. I'm sorry." she stood up and faced him, putting her right hand on his shoulder.

"Rowena, what do you think?" Salazar asked his third colleague.

She took a few minutes to think about it while Helga and Salazar looked at her, each waiting for backup from her side.

"I think," she paused. "This is a good idea. We should at least try it; if there is no Gryffindor house then I believe we should cancel the idea of houses all together."

Salazar smiled.

"Listen to her, Helga; we should at least try to do it. It will take time but it can work, and if you are not satisfied, I will give up." Salazar looked at both of them and Helga nodded slowly.

It took them almost a week to tweak the hat into knowing what Gryffindor would have wanted from his students, and when they were done, they began with their own images. In the end, they managed to cerate a hat charmed with the personalities of the four founders. Now it was only a matter of putting it to the test. They decided they would sort the children of the village, at first by themselves, then by the sorting hat. The scores where extraordinary accurate; only one of the fifty kids in the village was sorted into Gryffindor while Rowena believed he was more of Ravenclaw material. Salazar declared it a success, Rowena followed and Helga had no choice but to accept it.

 "Why do you think he wanted to do this so much?" Rowena asked her neighbor, Helga Hufflepuff, the morning after the declaration of the hat as a success. The two were on their way to meet with Salazar.

"Don't you think it is obvious? Godric gave his life for him; he sees it as a burden he will carry with himself forever." Helga paused. "Who knows, maybe he would even agree to admit Muggle born wizards in to Hogwarts now." Helga smiled, knowing that the greatest fight was still to come. She didn't really believe that Salazar would approve of it, especially now that Godric was not here.

After a short walk in silence, they got to the cabin.

"I have decided to agree with you in the subject of admitting Muggle born wizards into Hogwarts. I'm not doing this for you," Salazar emphasized as he saw the surprised looks of the women. "I know this is what he would have wanted, but do not think for a second I will go easy on them." Salazar did see Godric's death as a burden, even if he didn't show it. He only regretted it wasn't the other way around. After all, in his death, Godric won. It was not an easy decision for Salazar to make, but he knew that he couldn't let Godric's dream die with him.

Over the years Salazar softened his positions on many things; although he said he would not be easy with Gryffindors, he always had a hard time punishing them. He tried to avoid many conflicts with Helga or Rowena, even if it meant giving up, sometimes were unavoidable but there were not that many major disagreements between the three. He taught at Hogwarts until the end of his days. In his last years few events kept hunting his memory, in all was involved a student called Augustine Fadacos, a distant relative of Godric Gryffindor, who studied in his own house.

Salazar always said he saw something of Godric in his face, although Helga told him he was seeing what he wanted to see. Salazar put high standards for the young man; looking back at them, they were too high, and the boy kept on failing them. Augustine never knew of his faint blood connection to Godric Gryffindor, and despised Salazar for being so hard with him, much harder than he was even with the worst Gryffindor. Looking backwards, Salazar regretted his treatment of the boy. He could not forget one special time;

_"Welcome," he began his speech to the students that gathered outside of Hogwarts in the morning of March first; the seventh year students were faced with a very unique activity as a part of their Dueling class. "Each and every one of you will get this medallion," he said. He held up a gold medallion with the Hogwarts symbol. "The winner of this activity will be the one to get all the medallions; you will fight each other for these prizes. Not here, though; you will be in the forest." He pointed to the forest and some students seemed to be troubled by that fact. "Every battle you win you also wins you all the medallions in your rival's hands. When you lose, you must return here. There is no time limit; this competition can go for days, so I hope you are ready." He grinned. The teachers handed out all the medallions and the students began pouring in to the forest. Salazar hoped to declare Augustine Fadacos as the winner, but he knew it would be a hard task for him. Salazar stood outside the forest waiting, sometimes hearing something or seeing the effects of magic. By the first hour, three students had returned.  By night fall about twenty more had returned and heavy rain had begun to fall. Twenty more students had returned by __midnight__. Salazar began to think his trust in the boy wasn't so overconfident after all; he was already in the top fifteen. It was almost sunrise when only two were left in the forest, and one of these two was Augustine. Salazar was still standing where he had been standing since he sent them out into the __Forest__. Finally, just minutes later, the two remaining students came out of the forest, soaked, tired and beaten. To Salazar's horror, it wasn't Augustine who held the medallions. Augustine collapsed on the grass, powerless, and looked up at Salazar. He saw only contempt in his eyes. _

After that day the two hadn't spoken for a month, until Salazar caught Augustine filling his chamber with cow dung as a prank. Salazar expelled him at once; nothing Helga and Rowena said could change his mind. He didn't want to let him graduate and dishonor the name of Gryffindor. Almost a hundred years after that, Salazar realized his mistake with the boy, but it was too late for both of them.

No one said it in his face; but Salazar Slytherin was not welcomed in circles who believed in blood purity; although he was once one of the greatest to believe in this, most thought he had left their ways. His turning from one side to the other had only stiffened the minds of those who believed in blood purity since they accused the impure in his turning. Salazar Slytherin died alone; he passed on just a few days before the end of his one hundredth year as a teacher at Hogwarts. He had no friends but his colleagues, he had no family but Hogwarts, yet he only regretted one thing in his past, and believed he had fulfilled his life.

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"You wanted to see us?" Helga asked as she and Salazar Slytherin came in through the open door of Rowena Ravenclaw's office.

"Yes, please sit down. Drinks?" She smiled and waved her wand and three glasses flew to the table from the cupboard. Helga declined the offer, but Salazar took a cup.

"Helga, Salazar, I hereby submit my resignation from my position as teacher in Hogwarts to be affective at the end of this school year." Helga gasped and Salazar put his cup down.

"But, Rowena, why?" Helga asked.

"I no longer see any point in staying here; I have been teaching for too long. I will finish this year and after that, I wish to leave." Salazar sighed.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked.

"It is only logical," she replied coldly.

"Don't you think this a move you might regret later?" Helga asked, almost crying.

"Helga, I have been thinking about leaving for almost a decade now. This is what I want to do; I just can't stay here anymore." She stood up and Helga gave her a hug.

"Then know that you will always have a place in Hogwarts if you wish to return." Salazar didn't stand up, nor did he even think about giving her a hug, but he still saw it as a sad event, an end of an era.

That day, Rowena Ravenclaw didn't tell her colleges the full real reason for why she was leaving. She was always in love with Godric Gryffindor, but he was too much of a visionary to notice her. She joined the creation of Hogwarts thinking that after she had helped him build his vision, he would finally tell her his true feelings for her. But Godric's death was never in her plans. His death left her empty; she regretted not telling him about her feelings before. She didn't want to see Godric's vision die with him, so she remained with Helga and Salazar in order to make Hogwarts real, and they did it. At first, she found great satisfaction in teaching, molding the minds of young wizards and witches. She was proud of every achievement her students accomplished. But it didn't take long before it was pointless for her and she thought of leaving, knowing that if she stayed, it would only be to make a dead man happy. It took her a long time but she came to the conclusion that she had done all that she could do to help Godric's vision come to live, and now it was out of her hands.

After Rowena left Hogwarts she began traveling through Anglo-Saxon England, visiting mostly Muggle places. She then moved on to traveling the world. Helga and Salazar never heard from her again, although they heard of her. Her time and place of death were unknown but it is believed that she died when she found herself in a battlefield of the Crusader-Turkish war.

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Helga Hufflepuff woke up in the morning that marked one year to Godric Gryffindor's death to find that so much had changed since then. The school was complete and ready to begin the school year in a few months. Teachers have been hired, including a head for the house of Gryffindor. Her colleagues Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin had given up the idea of co-head masters and agree that she alone would be the first head mistress of the school. Most of the issues were resolved to apply to everyone's wish as far as possible. But she also remembered what changed it all. She remembered how Salazar clutched Godric's body hard, harder than he would want people to think. She could still see the look in Salazar's eyes; complete shock mixed with a bone-deep grief. The words that Salazar spoke of in his eulogy still lingered in her ears.

_Although those were the first days of the spring, rain came down hard on the mourners. Salazar walked in the head of a long line of people walking to the shores of __Loch__Ness__. Godric's body was lying in a boat that hovered in front of Salazar. Helga caught a glimpse of Salazar's face during the walk, and could never remember him looking so empty before. All the people that were walking behind Salazar were family, friends and people with no real connection who just wanted to share their respects to a great wizard. When they finally came ashore, Salazar dropped the boat genteelly in to the waters, and a few wizards joined him in the head of the line._

_"Godric Gryffindor!" Salazar paused. "Should not be mourned here tonight, for he is one of the lucky few whose action's in life immortalized them in their deaths. Godric used to say the he saw a better world, a world of peace, and that this world is right in our grasp, if we only strive to make it true. And that vision, his vision, will remain in the minds of generations to come. Hundreds of years for now they will remember him, for his vision will shape this world. This is why we should not mourn, but we should leave here knowing that a better world starts here." Salazar signaled to the men beside him and they all drew their wands and raised them in the air, then at the boat, where Godric's body lay._

_"Incendio!" they all cried and Godric's body went up in flames. Salazar released the boat in to the water and it floated away. _

Salazar's reaction to Godric's death was always a conundrum in Helga's eyes; at first, she thought that with Gryffindor out of the way, there would be no stopping Salazar Slytherin from taking over Hogwarts and planning it according to his vision, but it seemed that Salazar was changed by the sacrifice; he became less radical. Helga knew it was bad to think so but she could not avoid thinking that maybe Godric's death was for the best; though he could barely restrain Salazar in life, he was doing it in his death.

Helga never denied that she too was touched by Godric's vision and death, and she taught at Hogwarts accordingly.

To the wizarding world, Hogwarts was one of a kind; a school where both pure-blood and half-blood wizards acquired education, which was more than just mere fighting skills. Although it seemed like a perfectly peaceful place, there was a lot hidden under the surface, and Helga, as the head mistress of Hogwarts, failed to recognize the problem. The relationships between the Slytherin house and the rest of the houses were a bit tense, although Salazar Slytherin himself tried to bring unity amongst the students. The rivalries irrupted not long after founders were no longer teaching at the school. The students of the house of Slytherin, saw Slytherin himself as a sentimental fool; they had no respect for him or his name. They even had a secret nickname for their house, which they used very little and only in important events amongst themselves, one which they thought should be their house name, Tinfuil, called after the third head of house of Slytherin, Arturas Tinfuil. Tinfuil was one of the worst heads of house Slytherin ever had. He was extreme in his opinions and his actions. Non-Slytherin students suffered in his classes and if he caught them doing something he could think was wrong, they found themselves in the dungeons, hung from the ceiling by their ankles. He was forced to retire after the other teachers had enough power to stand against him, but the damage that he had made to the school was irreversible; the rivalry between the houses rose to new levels and the students of the house of Slytherin became the living incarnation of all that Gryffindor was against. In the late seventeenth century, the first tyrant came out of Slytherin house; Fabian Dolcha, who was the Minister of Magic for almost three years. He passed many decrees that eased the use of dangerous magic, canceled decrees that enabled the Ministry to act against those who hurt Muggles and completely disregarded all assaults against half-blooded wizards. He was about to dismantle the Ministry and take control of the land by force, but he passed away under suspicious circumstances and in his place came someone that tried to fix all his wrong doing. The society was as divided as Hogwarts was, and the ground was all set for the two greatest evils the wizarding world has ever known; Grindelwald and Voldemort.


	3. Chapter 3 Tabula Rasa

**Title: Liquid**

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Summary:** The long war had taken its toll, on some people more than others. Harry Potter, consumed by battles and death, believes that it shouldn't have happened from the beginning and sets out to change reality, not realizing the affect his actions of insanity would have on the future.

**AN:** I want to thank my beta for editing these chapters, and also to all who will review this. I know you would all have some questions but remember I am prepared for all of them and the answer is that you will have to wait for the next chapters.

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**_Chapter 3 – Tabula Rasa_**

_Milan__York__ tried to run, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't move. She cried; there was a sinister feeling to the air. She couldn't see anything; it was like a grey cloud covered her. She saw something green ripping through the clouds and fear swamped her mind; she screamed._

Milan York opened her eyes and gasped, grasping the sheets tightly, but she was no longer inside the grey cloud; she was in the safety of her own bed. Sweat covered her body and her heart raced madly.

She looked at the man sleeping next to her and smiled. Milan knew her partner was always a rock, and seeing him sleeping well made all her fears disappear. She slowly got out of her bed, trying hard not to wake him up.

She walked slowly and carefully to the bathroom. She stood over the sink and still needed to catch her breath. She turned on the tap, sprayed cold water on her face and looked into the mirror. Brown eyes under a vibrant red hair stared back at her. For her, looking in the mirror was always a peculiar sensation since she didn't know who she really was.

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She wasn't always called "Milan York;" she picked it up looking at clothes in a Muggle shop. Once she was Ginny Weasley, an elite member of the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter's only living friend. But when Harry Potter lost his sanity in a desperate attempt to change the world by killing Salazar Slytherin, and Ginny failed to stop him, the world she once knew ceased to exist. Ginny was saved by the man who brought Harry and her to the past, and he was now sleeping in the bed in the next room under the name of Max Washington. Of course, neither of them remembered the old world. Just over a year ago they woke up in a deserted garden in Aberdeen, not knowing anything of their pasts. They soon realized that they needed to work together in order to restore their memories and survive this world. At first they didn't even know they were a wizard and a witch, and the Muggles tried to do all they could. They went around in different places for a few days after their arrival, trying to find someplace to stay. It didn't take long for them to be arrested by a Muggle police officer. When they explained they did not know who they were, they were taken into dozen of tests; all concluded that nothing was wrong with them. Meetings with a psychologist confirmed they were either talented liars or that they were telling the truth. The police also tried to match their faces with missing people's files but it was no use. They stayed in a homeless shelter for almost a month before they discovered something about themselves. Milan wanted some privacy from all the homeless people around her, and she got it; she waved her hand madly and they all disappeared. Milan and Max were terrified. Milan broke into tears and Max tried to find a reasonable answer for the mystery. A few minutes later, all of the people returned, as if they were never gone, none of them knowing that something had happened. Milan and Max tried to find an explanation for that event but couldn't reach anything except for the words Max muttered: "It was like Magic".

They decided they couldn't stay at the shelter anymore; they hitch-hiked to London and began searching for answers on the streets.

Three days after they arrived at London they stood in front of a small, shabby-looking inn, sandwiched between a big book shop and a record store. They stood there for ages, looking crazy to the Muggles who walked past them and didn't pay any attention to the inn. Finally, they entered.

The inside was not that different from the outside, the room was barely lit and smoke thickened the air. They could see many strange people sitting around a few tables not far from them, looking suspiciously at the newcomers.

"What can I do for you?" the bald landlord asked them quietly and they both replied with a blank stare.

"Do you need a place to stay?" he asked with sympathy in his voice.

"Yes." Milan spoke softly.

"Which name should I write it on?" the landlord grabbed a key and put it on the bar. He then took a heavy, old-looking book from behind the bar. Putting the book on the bar, it opened immediately; the pages moved swiftly but neither of them could feel a breeze. Then an even more bizarre thing happened; ink began to appear in the book without the landlord doing anything; the date and the room number were written on the blank page.

"York," Milan mumbled and saw that her name was also appearing in the book now.

"How… how did you do this?" she asked incredulously.

"Just an old book charm," he replied and the book closed itself.

"Then you are a wizard!" Max cried.

"Of course I am, aren't you?" The landlord finally realized something was wrong about them.

"We don't know," Milan answered.

The landlord sighed and led them to their room; he promised them he would bring someone to help them. That night a man came to their room, saying Tom sent him. They told him their story and he said that he would try and help them retrieve their memories. And he did try at least; for the first week he tried dozens of charms and potions on the two and achieved nothing. After that week they had decided to give up on all of these experiments; they were sick of it. First the Muggles examined them and now the wizards. They realized they would probably never retrieve their memories and decided to start living their new lives already.

They got jobs helping Tom, the landlord, at the inn, and they lived in the room they got that day when they first found the place.

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Milan returned to the bed and saw that Max was awake.

"You had that dream again?" Max asked even though the answer was obvious; she had had that dream almost every night since they came to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Of course, silly." She tried to sound happy although despair was obvious in her tone. She got back into bed and curled in the arms of her lover. Resting her head on his chest, she sighed.

"Don't worry, baby, I'm with you."

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The next morning Milan and Max were doing chores for the Leaky Cauldron. While Max was taking some money out of the inn's safe in Gringotts, Milan was busy looking at the animals in the Magical Menagerie. Ever since they settled in the Leaky Cauldron she had wanted a pet. An orange cat called Crookshanks always caught her eye; she felt sorry for the little thing. Since nobody wanted to adopt him, she wanted to do it herself but Max wasn't a cat person. Milan always wondered if he was like that before they met too.

Milan sighed and a strange feeling came over her. She felt as if somebody was looking at her, somebody who knew her. She turned around and watched the crowd in Diagon Alley. Nobody seemed to look at her or even acknowledge her existence, but in the crowd she saw two figures coming her way and she froze. A wizard and a witch; the wizard had short black hair and a little scar under his right eye, and the witch had long red hair and a young face. The two's bodies were completely covered in their robes and they seemed to mingle in the crowd well; it was like she was the only one that noticed them coming through, even when the wizard seemed to bodyguard the witch and cleared people off their way, they just ignored them and kept on walking. They seemed to be synchronized in their steps. As they got closer the feeling strengthened and Milan was sure that the red-headed women gave her a sneak peek as they got passed her and continued on.

"Milan, what's wrong?" Max came back and found her standing in place breathing heavily and staring to the street.

"Nothing." She tried to move but collapsed backwards and Max grabbed her fast.

"It's just that that witch...I don't know, it was just so weird," she said and stood back on her feet.

"Maybe you should get some rest?" Max looked ahead and saw the witch Milan talked about and her companion entering Ollivander's.

Max made sure that Milan fell asleep before he left the room; luckily it happened very quickly so the chances of finding the mysterious witch were still high.

Max and Milan never entered Ollivander's; since they knew nothing of what they had learned about doing magic, taking a wand into their hands would have put everybody in danger. But Max knew that it was the place to start looking for the red-headed witch.

Max came into the shop and saw the old wizard giving him an odd gaze from the counter.

"Don't tell me, I know who you are." Ollivander inspected Max from head to toe.

"What do you mean?" Max had a feeling that the answers he had been seeking about his identity were right under his nose the whole time, and that made him forget why he came into the shop in the first place.

"I remember every wand I ever sold; if I sold you your wand I can remember you. Just give me a second," the old wizard was smiling.

"Please tell me who I am, mister." Max was awaiting the reply.

"Oh, you are one of the two working for Tom. You have no memories? How sad."

"Who am I?" Max grabbed the old man's hand.

"Darius Skylark, nine and a half inches, flexible, made of oak with a core of Occamy feather." Max let go of Ollivander and sighed.

"Are you sure that's who I am?" he asked quietly.

"Ninety nine percent sure." Ollivander put his hand on Darius' shoulder. "Mr. Skylark," he added. "Maybe you would like to bring your friend here too?" Ollivander smiled.

"Yes, thank you, thank you very much. I just have one question for you." Ollivander nodded. "Who was the witch that came into your shop about half an hour ago?" Ollivander's friendly and happy expression quickly changed into a mysterious and sad one.

"I'm sorry, you must be confused. It has been a weak day for me; you were the first to come in." Darius was not convinced, but he didn't care now that he finally knew a little piece of his past.

"I'm going to bring her in now," he said and left the store. He couldn't hold himself from running back to the room, he was so excited. It took about ten minutes for him to tell Milan everything and bring her to the shop, hoping to maybe finally find out something of her past as well.

When they entered the shop, Ollivander wasted no time and inspected Milan. It seemed, though, that his answer came too fast and he was not happy with that answer. To Milan's horror she saw that he was worried and terrified within seconds.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Maybe you would like to sit down and have some tea." He waved his hand and three cups of tea appeared on the counter. "And give me a second to explain myself." They nodded and took the cups of tea and sat down on the spindly chairs he conjured for them as well.

 Ollivander waited and saw that they drank some tea before he started.

"I just have one question for both of you; are you spies for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" he asked them, holding his wand.

"No!" they were not sure of his intentions but they had to answer, and he put down his wand.

"Very well." he turned to Milan. "You have a striking resemblance--more than a striking resemblance actually--to Ginny Weasley," That name lingered in her ears, and she liked it.

"However, the witch that came into my shop forty minutes ago was Ginny Weasley." Ollivander turned from them.

"So you lied?" Darius stood up and stood face to face with Ollivander, he doesn't like being lied too.

"Sit down, Mr. Skylark, this is something bigger than you," Darius stared at him for a few seconds and set.

"What does it mean?" Ginny asked.

"I do not have that answer for you, but I know the man that does." He signaled to them to come after him and they did; they went along the shelves full of wands and stopped just before the last row of shelves.

Ollivander grabbed one of the boxes and a hole opened in the ground beside them.

"You need to go down there, then go along the tunnel until you reach its hand, then declare your intentions and say that I sent you for Dumbledore. Stand still and a few wizards will come to take you to the Order of the Phoenix's main base. They will need to put you to sleep before they take you, so don't resist. Got it?" Darius and Ginny nodded.

"What will you say when you reach the end of the tunnel?" he asked.

"Ollivander sent us to see Dumbledore," Darius said and Ollivander nodded.

"Good luck." Ollivander helped them go down to the tunnel and closed the hole after them.

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Darius and Ginny began walking along the tunnel, which was unexpectedly large and lit by floating candles. Darius led the way in a cautious pace and Ginny behind him used the time to think about what she had just found out.

The walk was long and tiring, Ginny and Darius barely spoke, both too busy worrying to talk; Ginny kept trying to create memories that would prove to her that she is indeed Ginny Weasley and that this was all not just a waste of time, and Darius was worried that if Dumbledore couldn't solve their problem, the Milan he knew would be crushed. It took them almost an hour to reach the end of the tunnel.

"Well, I guess this is the end of the road," said Darius as he found himself facing a wall. He saw that Milan seemed distracted; he could understand why.

"Ollivander sent us to see Dumbledore!" he called to the air and waited for something to happen. Suddenly the walls around them seemed to move and six wizards holding their wands came out of the walls. They were all hidden in dark robes and Darius could barely see their eyes; he started to wonder if they were spying on them in the tunnel.

"You know I must put you to sleep for a little while?" one of them said as he stepped up and they nodded.

"_Codail__!" _he whispered and Darius and Ginny fell into a bewitched sleep. Two wizards caught them before they fell to the floor and carried them on their shoulders. The wizards went back through where they came from and the wall returned to normal. They walked for a while and arrived at a shore for an underground river.

Dumbledore saw it as one of his most exquisite acts; in order to connect the main base of the Order of the Phoenix to other locations over Britain he had built branched tunnels underneath the surface of the island and created a river in them. The river seemed very shallow, but this was only an illusion; if a Death Eater was to step in it he would most likely not get out of it alive. And even if one was to get on a boat he would most likely not find the right way since every few meters the road was split into three.

The wizards put Darius' and Ginny's sleeping bodies in a boat and two of the wizards went on it and sailed away from the others, taking the road to the main base. Finally after an hour of sailing, Darius and Ginny were finally there, still sleeping. They were taken of the boat and carried in to Dumbledore's chamber where they were left on couches waiting for somebody to wake them up.

Ginny opened her eyes and saw an old man smiling at her. He had long white hair and beard; there was something childish in his smile, but something torn by war in his eyes.

"Welcome," he said and helped her sit up.

"I'm Albus Dumbledore. Give me a second and I will wake you your friend." He smiled and turned to the sleeping body of Darius Skylark.

"_Enervate_," he said and Darius opened his eyes. Darius stood up and Ginny joined him, then without no delays they had began telling Dumbledore their short life story.

Dumbledore listened to them very seriously.

"Here is what I'm going to do," he started after they had finished their story. "I'm going to use a technique called Legilimency to enter your minds and see if I can recover some of your old memories." He didn't want to give them too much hope, but he didn't except them to be as unexcited as they were.

"The man Tom brought already tried this," Ginny said and Dumbledore smiled.

"Well, I believe I am far more powerful and talented than the man who has tried to help you."

"Dumbledore." A man entered the room. Ginny recognized him from Diagon Alley earlier today.

"I have terrible news," he said and took Dumbledore aside.

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About two hours after sending the mysterious couple to see Dumbledore, Ollivander had finished selling his first wand of the day; an eight inch, holly, pliable with a core of a Centaur's hair, to the young Phillip Longbottom, who was to start studying at Hogwarts in two months and be the newest in a long line of Longbottoms to attend the school. He sat down in his chair behind the counter and began to wonder more and more about the two john-does; he was planning to go visit them in the main base after he closed the shop that day, but three hooded wizards Apparated in front of his door and kicked it up, effectively spoiling his plans.

The wizard in the center sent a yellow beam at Ollivander, but the old man was fast enough to duck behind his counter.

A wand from the shelves ripped through the air and hit one of the wizards in the arm, and he released a cry of pain.

"Give up, Ollivander, we won't hurt you. Our master wants to see you," the one in the center said viciously.

"Never!" Ollivander cried and the rest of the wands from the shelves flew in and created a wall between him and the Death Eaters, taking every hit they sent on him.

Ollivander took a deep breath and sighed. As he kept his control on the wands defending him from the strikes of his enemies, he took a red box from under the counter. Dumbledore gave it to him as a last resort; he said it was something Muggle. He took two red cylinders from the box and lit their ends. He knew that he didn't have much time; he took one roll in each hand and stood up.

"You will never take me alive!" he cried and threw the sticks on the Death Eaters. One of them hit the wall behind them and the other was grabbed by one of the Death Eaters and an explosion ripped through the quiet air of Diagon Alley.


End file.
